Iran war cost US over $11.3B in 1st six days

The war against Iran has cost the US more than $11.3 billion in its first six days alone, Pentagon officials told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill, according to a report Wednesday.

The estimate, shared with members of Congress on Tuesday, represents the most "comprehensive assessment" lawmakers have received so far since the US-Israeli war with Iran began, according to the New York Times, citing three people familiar with the briefing.

The figure does not include "many of the costs" associated with the operation, however, including the buildup of military hardware and personnel ahead of the initial strikes, meaning the total cost is expected to "grow considerably as the Pentagon continues to calculate the costs accumulated just in the first week," it reported.

Earlier congressional briefings indicated that the US military used up $5.6 billion of munitions in the first two days of the war, reflecting a far higher rate of weapons use than previously disclosed publicly, the report said.

The initial bombardment included weapons such as AGM-154 glide bombs, which can cost between $578,000 and $836,000 each.

The US military has since indicated that it may shift toward less expensive munitions, including Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits.

Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28, which has so far killed over 1,300 people, including Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, over 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officials, according to Iranian authorities.

Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israeli cities and locations hosting US military assets across the region.